Trinidadian Soccer Player Bows Down to His Royal Majesty Lionel Messi Before International Friendly

The Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago has only ever played in one FIFA World Cup. The year was 2006, and it was really only the result of a lucky draw (CONCACAF group play in round 3 against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Sait Kitts and Nevis) and a few “games of their lives.” They did not return to the World Cup in 2010, and they won’t be there in 2014.

My point, which probably didn’t require such a detailed lead-in? Trinidad and Tobago is not a world soccer power. Their players are not superstars, and they rarely get to play games against world class opponents. So playing an international friendly against Argentina in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup—which they did yesterday—is a big deal. It not only gave them a taste of the highest level of soccer, but it put them face-to-face with the greatest player on the planet: Lionel Messi.

And this occasion was definitely not lost on one of the Trinidad and Tobago players, who bowed down to the diminutive Argentine soccer deity during the pre-game handshake: